You all might be thinking the reason as to which I gave such a title. Its very simple, I wanted to give a Desi kind of title to the review, which co-incides with the subject, I mean the film! American Desi, a fun-filled cute film that has a realistic portrayal of NRI´s and their lives. American Desi is a landmark film. So, the Indian audience will finally see what NRI life is really like abroad. It shatters so may myths that people may have of the younger NRI generation and does it with a lot of fun. As a consequence we get to enjoy a funny, enjoyable, and somewhat satirical film which should be watched by everyone!
The film revolves around Krishna Gopal Reddy (Deep Katdare) who is having an identity crisis of sorts! He hasn´t fully accepted his heritage as an Indian and is dying to get out of his parents house, away from all things Indian! Krishna, known to his friends as Kris, finally gets a chance to get out when he is accepted to university, where he will meet new people and denounce his Indian heritage. Along with his childhood friend Eric (Eric Axen) he sets out with hopes and dreams which are soon shattered when he realizes that he will not be living with his best friend Eric, but he has been set up with other people in his faculty, three Indians. These are not just any Indians, they are fun bunch of individuals from different backgrounds. There is Jagjit Singh (Ronobir Lahiri) who is a jovial sardar who doesn´t really want to pursue engineering, but wants to be an artist, however like a lot of parents, his father wants him to be an engineer, not an artist, because an artist will never amount to anything. Then there is Salim Ali Khan (Rizwan Manji) who idolized Rekha, watches Umraao Jaan, and believes that all NRI girls are corrupt. And lastly we have Ajay Pandya (Kal Penn) the black talking, fun loving, ghetto boy. Kris immediately takes a dislike to all three for various reasons, but mainly because they are Indian, they have made the house small like masala and curry, and Kris thinks they do not share any common interests.
Kris begins university life, avoiding his roommates whenever possible, and having fun. In the process he meets Nina Shah (Purva Bedi) who, he instantly starts liking, but she is Indian too. Not only is she Indian, but she is a cultured Indian who despite having all the traits of an NRI speaks Hindi and drinks lassi. Nina´s childhood friend Rakesh Patel (Anil Kumar) and his two sidekicks Hemant (Sanjit DeSilva) and Chandu (Sunil Malhotra), make things more difficult for Kris because Rakesh has a crush on Nina as well and won´t let Kris get near her. And thus begins Kris´ journey to discovering his heritage and his love. To accompany him he has his three roommates who eventually become his friends and partners in crime. Together they go through a vast number of changes to discovering themselves and their destiny!
The performances in the film are excellent and true to life. The fresh cast of new talent obviously have been through similar experiences before, so it makes the performances more authentic! Deep Katdare as Kris is hilarious, he fits the character very well. His plight is the same for many NRI´s, there are so many youngsters out there like him and I´m sure audiences can relate to him. He does an excellent job and his transition from the arrogant Kris to Krishna is believable. His roommates played by Ronobir, Kal, and Rizwan are the highlights of the film. They bring out all the laughs, and the fun. We also get to see their more personal sides.
Purva Bedi also does a good job. She has a beautiful face, and a commendable screen presence, but some of her scenes could have used improvement. Still this being her first film, she does a good job. Sunita Param as Farah Saeed is very good. Her acting is very realistic, and it shows that NRI girls may speak English and be more Liberal, but that does not mean that they do not know what their heritage and culture is all about. Rakesh Patel, Sanjit DeSilva and Sunil Malhotra add the villainous angle to the film, but they are not out and out villains, their portrayal may be exaggerated but it was done for a purpose and they are competent in their roles. Sanjit and Sunil´s comedy track however wasn´t rib tickling. Still all three do a good job!Finally Aladdin as the T.A. Gautam Rao is a scene stealer, he is simply fabulous. His comic timing in the film is the best, and his drunken scene is hilarious!
The film is almost flawless in terms of script which was written by the director Piyush Dinker Pandya. It takes up so many social issues in such a short span and addresses the plight faced by many of NRI´s out there effectively. Piyush has done an awesome job in directing the film. It is entertaining and fun. It is a landmark film in bringing up issues. His work in this film will be much appreciated because he is talented. The scenarios he has written are hilarious. For example, the boys making the romantic dinner for Nina, Gautam getting drunk, Salim hiding from Farah´s parents, Eric making money at the Navratri festival, the rubber scene in the classroom, and Kris leaving home in the beginning are just few of the most entertaining parts of the film. Piyush deserves a pat on the back. He shows the audiences that all Indians do not need to be doctors, engineers and lawyers. He also shows us that while some NRI´s may not accept their heritage, most of them are well versed in their culture.
Overall American Desi is a near perfect film. Finally any NRI who is tired of being projected as a tyrant in Hindi films can watch a film which is realistic in every way. Performances are excellent, the good looking young, cast has done an overwhelming job with their roles in the film and make us proud to be NRI´s. Music is also good and the effect really pays off. Piyush Pandya deserves a standing aviation for his excellent film which addresses so many important issues, while making us laugh hard. Deep down inside we still see that Hindi film convention of boy meets girl and fights the villain to save the girl, but it is done in a shorter time span.
Towards the end, all i’d like to say is that It is a cute, fun movie, and deserves to have commercial success. If you haven’t yet seen it, GO SEE IT coz its a film not to be missed by anyone! GO SEE IT NOW!